Can we please stop sexualizing Jonathan Sims?
I usually don’t like to be super argumentative on here, but this is something I’m really tired of seeing in the tma fandom and I just need to talk about it. So here’s my long-ass rant about why the tma fandom should stop doing nsfw stuff to my sex-repulsed asexual blorbo Jonathan Sims:
1) It’s not even that hard
Although he is the main character, Jon is just one of the literal hundreds of characters in the tma world, including a whole bunch of major side characters, the majority of whom are NOT ace. Correct me if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure Jon is, like, the only canon ace character in the whole show? There are so many other characters and ships who are either canonically allo or don’t have a specified sexuality. Heck TimSasha canonically had sex and it’s pretty heavily implied that the wtgfs do too, and don’t even get me started on Elias and his harem of old men. There are just so many characters and ships to choose from if you want to make nsfw tma stuff, it should not be this hard to just leave Jon out of it.
2) Your usual argument doesn’t even work here
The usual excuse I see when people sexualize ace characters is “well asexuality is a spectrum/but some ace people still have sex,” which doesn’t even work in this context? They don’t even say Jon is ace in the show, they say “Jon doesn’t [have sex]” (then Jonny clarifies Jon’s sexuality in a Q&A), confirming that Jon is in fact one of the many ace people who don’t have sex. Another argument I’ve heard is “we change straight characters’ sexualities all the time, why should this be any different?” While I see where they’re coming from, I think its much better when people do this in a way that increases representation, changing a character from a widely recognized/nonoppressed sexuality to one in the minority. I think it’s different when a character’s sexuality is switched from one minority to another, as it erases the character’s value as representation for their original sexuality.
3) Just… don’t?
Maybe just respect ace people and their choices? Yes, Jon is just a fictional character who can’t be personally offended by what you do to him, but he represents a very real group of people whose identity is constantly being erased and invalidated in a sexnormative society. Your depiction of this ace character impacts your viewers’ perception of ace people in general and can perpetuate harmful ideas about the identity. There’s a big lack of ace representation out there, and it would be great if everyone could just respect the few characters we get without forcing them into compliance with the idea that sex is required for healthy, committed relationships. Ace people can have fulfilling lives and happy relationships without sex, and I think we should celebrate that in ace characters rather than erasing it.
To sum it up, I really think the tma fandom should stop sexualizing Jonathan Sims. Aside from how easy it is for you to just leave him alone, the sexualization of ace characters in general contributes to harmful perceptions and expectations of real ace people. I don’t want to get aggressive about this, many of the people who I see doing this seem like otherwise cool people, but I wish you’d stop (unknowingly?) contributing to ace erasure with Jon. I also get how hard it can be to understand asexuality from an allosexual viewpoint within a society where sex is basically painted as the end goal of existence, but ace people are real and valid, and it is completely possible to live a fulfilling life without it. I do also see plenty of people within the tma fandom being accepting and respectful of Jon and his identity, and I really appreciate you guys! I don’t think the sexualization is even that big in the fandom, but I’ve seen it enough that I felt the need to say something.